a60
I will make the 8100 Class DART my new A Stock.
Posts: 743
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Post by a60 on Feb 29, 2024 8:17:18 GMT
Good morning all - has anyone close to the situation been given any updates on when this points failure may be expected to be fixed?
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a60
I will make the 8100 Class DART my new A Stock.
Posts: 743
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Post by a60 on Feb 11, 2024 7:30:20 GMT
The points at Watford South Junction aren’t that old are they. That’s disappointing. IIRC the points at Watford South Junction were reconfigured in circa 2008, so not old at all but at the same point not exactly young enough to be under manufacturer's warranty (please pardon the ropey analogy). I wonder if anyone on here knows the root cause of the failures on these points; are the present problems a repetition of others we've seen over the past few months?
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a60
I will make the 8100 Class DART my new A Stock.
Posts: 743
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Post by a60 on Feb 6, 2024 8:23:01 GMT
There is an ongoing points failure at Wembley Park. Northbound trains from Baker St can only access platform one at Wembley Park and then run via the fast line to Harrow. In order to maintain a northbound service for Preston Road and Northwick Park a number of Baker St services are being reversed via Neasden Depot. Trains from the depot can be routed to Wembley Park platform two. Train 441 is one of those that has been chosen to reverse via the depot. During the rush hour, is this not causing a que of trains on the fast lines if the terminating trains from Harrow have to then run fast to Plaform 6 at Harrow and then stop there before going into the depot? In my own assessment it does cause some slight queueing outside of both Harrow and Wembley on the southbound. Although, I don’t think it is a huge impediment to the service. All in all, I’d say given the present woes and how much potential this issue had to nuke the service, the control room staff have done an admirable job keeping the service running fairly smoothly. Although, I do wonder how long it will be before this points failure is likely to be fixed?
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a60
I will make the 8100 Class DART my new A Stock.
Posts: 743
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Post by a60 on Feb 2, 2024 7:53:24 GMT
Hi all,
Sorry for the slightly dense nature of this query. Over the course of the past week I’ve noticed that T441, the 07:40-ish ex-Uxbridge has only gone as far as HOTH where it normally goes to Baker Street. Is there a crewing or timetabling issue that has caused this, or is it something else?
Thanks in advance.
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a60
I will make the 8100 Class DART my new A Stock.
Posts: 743
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Post by a60 on Oct 14, 2023 22:35:27 GMT
a60 if you haven't already, I encourage you to submit your feedback about your driver via the TfL website as that way it is guaranteed to find its way to the relevant person (and their manager iirc). The feedback form has a technical problem at the moment, but will try again in the morning. Thanks for the suggestion Chris, it would have totally skipped my mind otherwise.
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a60
I will make the 8100 Class DART my new A Stock.
Posts: 743
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Post by a60 on Oct 13, 2023 18:54:05 GMT
I was stuck on a train between Harrow and North Harrow for a good while. Whatever happened, it must have been a pretty catastrophic failure for it to end up going as it did. However, full credit to the driver of our train who kept calm, in control of the situation and did her best to keep us informed of developments as they happened.
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a60
I will make the 8100 Class DART my new A Stock.
Posts: 743
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Post by a60 on May 3, 2023 21:23:35 GMT
I was caught up in that mess this evening - supposedly was a trackside fire in the Neasden area…
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a60
I will make the 8100 Class DART my new A Stock.
Posts: 743
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Post by a60 on Dec 21, 2022 17:12:28 GMT
Hi, yes that would indicate that the de-icing function is active.
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a60
I will make the 8100 Class DART my new A Stock.
Posts: 743
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Post by a60 on May 10, 2022 7:16:41 GMT
Good morrow - just a quick one; do we have a full fleet back in service now, or are there still some units awaiting repair? I ask as there appear to be some cancellations this morning. I’m curious as to how much of that is down to the earlier faulty train at Rickmansworth and unavailable trains (something one can only guesstimate, I imagine).
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a60
I will make the 8100 Class DART my new A Stock.
Posts: 743
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Post by a60 on Apr 21, 2022 16:50:59 GMT
How are things progressing with getting the fleet back up to speed, would anyone know? I have started seeing some more units with fresh wheels on them, and been greeted on the journey home by 21323/24 which I haven’t had the pleasure of being on for several weeks.
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a60
I will make the 8100 Class DART my new A Stock.
Posts: 743
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Post by a60 on Apr 11, 2022 15:29:42 GMT
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a60
I will make the 8100 Class DART my new A Stock.
Posts: 743
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Post by a60 on Apr 11, 2022 11:20:01 GMT
Presumably the service will gradually improve over the 6 weeks once trains start being repaired and come back in service? I wouldn't bet on it, the management have been running a "special operation" on the Met Line for months with complete disregard to the timetable or proper customer information about their intentions, with various excuses and fake news leaked from time to time. This just means that they have come up with a concrete excuse that they're now going to publish and formalises what has been close to normal for a while. Is the “special operation” being run by a chap called Vlad by any chance? What I will say about the present issues regarding the Met is that were it not for this forum, I would not have known about the reduced service until I reached the station. I think communication ahead of time remains a bit of a weak spot. But I think your assessment of the overall picture is not really accurate - the service has been perfectly adequate for 90% of my travels.
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a60
I will make the 8100 Class DART my new A Stock.
Posts: 743
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Post by a60 on Apr 11, 2022 6:54:27 GMT
I had pondered (elsewhere on the interweb) if this was linked to a programme lift as I saw 21015/16 at Hillingdon on some very fresh wheels and bogies. I have been advised that such a programme has now begun.
As to the practicalities, train 730 this morning isn’t horribly crowded out. I think as a chunk of people are either on annual this week, or otherwise WFH, a worse time for this to happen could have come about. I do note that this is supposed to be on for the next 6 weeks (per the info board at Hillingdon). I dare say that as this progresses, things could get… interesting.
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a60
I will make the 8100 Class DART my new A Stock.
Posts: 743
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Post by a60 on Feb 28, 2022 8:09:51 GMT
Thanks both, much appreciated!
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a60
I will make the 8100 Class DART my new A Stock.
Posts: 743
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Post by a60 on Feb 28, 2022 7:21:52 GMT
As a regular user of the Uxbridge branch, my journeys to/from have often been flummoxed by a signal failure in the Rayners Lane area. Is there any common reason for the signal failure to keep happening, or sheer poor luck?
Also, is the Uxbridge branch still going to be part of the 4LM scheme at this point, or is the old system going to have to continue for the foreseeable?
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a60
I will make the 8100 Class DART my new A Stock.
Posts: 743
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Post by a60 on May 30, 2021 9:28:02 GMT
From Chesham it seemed (yesterday morning) to be quite consistent with normal timetable with regards to departure times, but they seem to be running fast. Watford and Uxbridge services seemed far less predictable, however.
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a60
I will make the 8100 Class DART my new A Stock.
Posts: 743
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Post by a60 on May 11, 2021 19:19:19 GMT
Gosh, I'm not sure they're worth £32,000 as do-er uppers much less scrap, even if the majority of what's left is more than likely made of pre-atomic steel.
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a60
I will make the 8100 Class DART my new A Stock.
Posts: 743
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Post by a60 on Sept 11, 2020 0:03:05 GMT
The line based Twitter feeds along with DLR, London Overground, Croydon trams and possibly Crossrail were all operated by the same team, in some cases you'd have just one person doing them all at the same time. When things were busy it could lead to a bit of confusion, like announcing that Queensway station had reopened on the District Line Twitter. Now they'll all be lumped together on TfL. Also the Twitter team aren't very knowledgeable about the lines, once there was a report that step free access was unavailable at Buckhurst Hill due to a faulty lift when there isn't a lift at Buckhurst Hill (it had been left unstaffed so no one was available to deploy the ramp). I think the got to know the Metropolitan Line quite well after the debacle which unfolded with ATO last September. I’d agree with another poster that this is probably a small efficiency measure, although the effect on the P&L will be negligible as I’d imagine there’d only be 3-4 full time staff dedicated to the line Twitter accounts. A small drop in the ocean compared to other costs.
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a60
I will make the 8100 Class DART my new A Stock.
Posts: 743
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Post by a60 on Aug 1, 2020 21:49:17 GMT
you would be hard pressed on the MET to find drivers who want to return to A stock. Are there many drivers left on the Met now who drove the A Stock? I've still got mixed feelings on the S Stock vs A Stock thing - the A Stock would still be my preferred mount for nostalgic purposes, having a characterful train and in terms of strict seating capacity. But on the flipside, now that I use (or 'used,' thanks Covid) the Met for the daily commute, I dread to think what manoeuvring around an A Stock at crush loads would have been like, also it'd be nigh on impossible to get any work done on the way in to the office with the cramped seating and bouncy ride. Despite my username and bitter (or to prefer; childish) protest at the time of the A Stock's demise, I think the S Stock is a very competent, if not very compelling train to do the job it's been given. I'd be interested to know what everyone feels now that the S Stock are very much part of the fabric of Metroland, as the A Stock once were.
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a60
I will make the 8100 Class DART my new A Stock.
Posts: 743
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Post by a60 on Feb 18, 2020 18:02:13 GMT
Hi all,
Apologies if this is a really daft query.
What’s happening to Amersham semi-fasts this week? So far the ones I’ve intended to use have only gone as far as Ricky? Have I just been a bit unlucky or is there something else up?
Ta, a60
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a60
I will make the 8100 Class DART my new A Stock.
Posts: 743
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Post by a60 on Nov 21, 2019 18:21:09 GMT
Do they mean by authentic LU signalling means it fails every scenario 😂 I have seen some coverage on YouTube, and while the signals didn’t fail, but a certain driver failed on signals because he spadded so much. So, apart from his lacklustre driving, I will say that if my laptop wasn’t so clapped out, I’d be tempted to buy it. It looks very good.
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a60
I will make the 8100 Class DART my new A Stock.
Posts: 743
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Post by a60 on Sept 9, 2019 17:22:40 GMT
I somehow expect this to carry on into the next week. My usual train out Zone 1 was carrying more than usual but it was not painfully crowded. I think working the 9-7 day on account of the Met won’t carry on for this week.
As much as some people think the cancellation and alteration announcements are annoying, I think they’ve been very helpful. I’m glad that TfL took this little bit of initiative here, even if it was a week late! I wonder if anyone in ‘the know’ has any updates that are fit for public consumption?
But as said up the thread, I don’t think that what we have today constitutes a good service - not by a long shot.
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a60
I will make the 8100 Class DART my new A Stock.
Posts: 743
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Post by a60 on Sept 4, 2019 6:50:54 GMT
I’m seeing a lot of action on Twitter regarding refunds.
I’m presuming that won’t apply to me on the basis I’m deeming it necessary to stay at work until 7 every night in order to let the chaos die down before heading home? This means I am not getting home until 9 nightly. Without wishing to ruffle fathers, I must say it has been badly managed (if at all) and despite the Metline handle on Twitter saying the service should improve day on day, it has actually deteriorated badly from the point of view of many commuters - myself included.
I wonder if the management are going to have a debrief after this debacle and whose posterior is on the line. Surely someone has to be held to account for this, as on the surface this smacks of a lack of resource planning and a failure to manage expectations. No emergency timetable, trains either not running (e.g. the 07:35 ex-Chesham this morning (cancelled at 15 minutes notice)), or doing services they normally wouldn’t (the 07:35 ex-Chesham yesterday ran semi-fast to Wembley).
There are lessons to be learned from this - this seems like a very insensible way to operate a live working railway upon which millions of people depend weekly. Also chopping and changing it with what on the surface seems with very little forethought is no way to treat the paying public. People’s requests to get a revised timetable should not have been a hard request to fulfil for the management.
Rant over - but unless the management gets its act together, I will meet my death this week at their doing.
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a60
I will make the 8100 Class DART my new A Stock.
Posts: 743
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Post by a60 on Sept 2, 2019 6:30:33 GMT
I knew it was going to be pretty woeful. I was thinking about working from home, but as it’s month end for our accounts so that’s not an option. Dependent on how today goes, I might book a hotel in Southwark for the rest of the week because the journey from Chesham even with the regular service is hard enough going without this added into the mix.
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a60
I will make the 8100 Class DART my new A Stock.
Posts: 743
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Post by a60 on Aug 31, 2019 9:35:43 GMT
Well, for this weekend.
When I was boarding my southbound train at Chesham this morning I saw it was a fast to Harrow. I thought this just meant the train was defective and it’d be better run a curtailed service than cancel the train. However my train terminated on platform 2 before forming fast Amersham.
I am interested in the rationale behind this as the normal thing would be for Amersham/Cheshams to run stopping services to Wembley. Not that I’m complaining, it has made an otherwise routine journey slightly interesting.
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a60
I will make the 8100 Class DART my new A Stock.
Posts: 743
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Post by a60 on Jul 19, 2019 22:22:32 GMT
I tend to get there each evening at around 17:50, and there are two indicators as to what the problem might be.
1) It seems to be running 2h25m behind the rest of GMT. 2) When I get there it is usually trying to connect and is showing its IP address configuration etc, so its config is probably out of kilter.
Another point is that if you're looking at the working indicator from the bottom end of the platform, it only displays the first train arriving, but on the other side it shows trains 2, 3 and 4 as usual.
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a60
I will make the 8100 Class DART my new A Stock.
Posts: 743
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Post by a60 on Jul 17, 2019 17:17:42 GMT
Part of the issue is that the current refurb will need to be altered again to meet RVAR requirements in the coming months, so is there much use in keeping them presentable to change them again?
I understand two Hainault cars are in Acton Works serving as demonstrator vehicles for the mods? How are they progressing, does anyone know?
Must be honest though, the state of dilapidation isn’t comparable to the A Stock at a similar age. But agree that as these trains are shuttling people between the South Bank and the West End, that their appearance would leave a poor impression on tourists.
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a60
I will make the 8100 Class DART my new A Stock.
Posts: 743
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Post by a60 on May 26, 2019 10:10:40 GMT
IIRC the S Stock named "Tim O'Toole" has different motors to the rest of the fleet which can be identified easily as they sound different. I’m on it right now and the best way I can describe it is that it sounds like it has been fitted with a turbocharger.
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a60
I will make the 8100 Class DART my new A Stock.
Posts: 743
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Post by a60 on May 7, 2019 16:06:08 GMT
I should be quite surprised if any carriages beyond 5034 and 6110 exist now, it's nearly a year ago now that 5234/5 moved off of the system. I'm curious now as to what this Facebook page is called, because it would be heartening to think there's a chance of the unit being saved. However, the realist in me says that because of the alleged asbestos content, LU would have seen their existence outside of being chopped up and melted down, or else being in LU hands as a sheer liability.
Surely, we would have heard something by now if they had have been saved?
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a60
I will make the 8100 Class DART my new A Stock.
Posts: 743
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Post by a60 on Feb 21, 2019 18:26:30 GMT
I had a bit of fun with the DMI’s at Wembley this evening. While awaiting my train home, sometimes they report the train seemed to be getting further away from me and at times it gave up showing times at all.
Quite a gap between westbound trains this evening, I presume a lot of bunching up has occurred, which would explain why Rayners Lane showed up as a destination.
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